What do you think?
Rate this book
Departure Lounge
"Entropy noir. . . . The hypnotic pull lies in the zigzag dance of its forlorn characters, casting a murky, uneasy sense of doom.""The Guardian" A young woman mysteriously disappears. The lives of those she has left behindfamily, acquaintances and strangers intrigued by her disappearanceintersect to form a captivating latticework of odd coincidences and surprising twists of fate. Urban noir at its stylish and intelligent best.
Chad Taylor lives and works in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the author of one collection of short stories and four previous novels. His second novel, "Heaven," was made into a feature film by Miramax.
Chad Taylor lives and works in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the author of one collection of short stories and four previous novels. His second novel, "Heaven," was made into a feature film by Miramax.
- GenresMysteryFictionLiterature
176 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2006
78 people want to read
About the author
Chad Taylor
15 books8 followersChad Taylor is the author of the novels Blue Hotel, Departure Lounge, Electric, Shirker, Heaven, Pack of Lies and The Church of John Coltrane. He was awarded the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship and the Auckland University Literary Fellowship. Heaven was made as a feature film and his novels and stories are in translation. He wrote the movie Realiti which was selected for Fantastic Fest. Blue Hotel was a finalist for Best Novel in the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 23, 2022
PARTENZA SENZA RITORNO
La sala partenze dell’aeroporto internazionale di Auckland.
Le cose che mi sono piaciute di più e che mi tornano in mente:
-l’ambientazione in Nuova Zelanda, a Auckland.
Auckland, capitale della Nuova Zelanda.
-l’inizio, deliziosamente cinico: Mark, e ci vuole parecchio prima che scopriamo il suo nome, gioca a biliardo con un palazzinaro che vende case che cascano a pezzi appena finito il periodo di garanzia, un tipo schifoso arrogante disonesto presuntuoso che predica
Property is our modern religion.
Mark lo lascia vincere, poi lo saluta, stacco, e
the following night I broke into his apartment and stole everything that wasn't nailed down.
Già che è lì, si fa anche qualche altro appartamento del complesso residenziale, finché al quarto vede la foto che è il punto di svolta del racconto.
- Chad Taylor la sa lunga sui furti in casa, sulle serrature forzate, sulla combinazione di una cassaforte, sui furti d’auto, le rapine nei negozi: sa di che parla e mi piace sentirlo raccontare.
- Chad Taylor scrive in modo cool, ma sotto scorre un fiume bollente.
- tutto il tempo che ci vuole per capire che quella foto, il personaggio che riproduce, è il fulcro di tutta la storia.
- la sensazione di leggere un romanzo di genere, un thriller di tradizione noir, che in realtà è un’altra variazione del filone letterario coming-of-age, in questo caso il passaggio dall’adolescenza alla maturità con le perdite che comporta e si porta dietro.
E adesso quello che non mi è piaciuto:
La sala partenze dell’aeroporto internazionale di Auckland.
Le cose che mi sono piaciute di più e che mi tornano in mente:
-l’ambientazione in Nuova Zelanda, a Auckland.
Auckland, capitale della Nuova Zelanda.
-l’inizio, deliziosamente cinico: Mark, e ci vuole parecchio prima che scopriamo il suo nome, gioca a biliardo con un palazzinaro che vende case che cascano a pezzi appena finito il periodo di garanzia, un tipo schifoso arrogante disonesto presuntuoso che predica
Property is our modern religion.
Mark lo lascia vincere, poi lo saluta, stacco, e
the following night I broke into his apartment and stole everything that wasn't nailed down.
Già che è lì, si fa anche qualche altro appartamento del complesso residenziale, finché al quarto vede la foto che è il punto di svolta del racconto.
- Chad Taylor la sa lunga sui furti in casa, sulle serrature forzate, sulla combinazione di una cassaforte, sui furti d’auto, le rapine nei negozi: sa di che parla e mi piace sentirlo raccontare.
- Chad Taylor scrive in modo cool, ma sotto scorre un fiume bollente.
- tutto il tempo che ci vuole per capire che quella foto, il personaggio che riproduce, è il fulcro di tutta la storia.
- la sensazione di leggere un romanzo di genere, un thriller di tradizione noir, che in realtà è un’altra variazione del filone letterario coming-of-age, in questo caso il passaggio dall’adolescenza alla maturità con le perdite che comporta e si porta dietro.
E adesso quello che non mi è piaciuto:
March 18, 2017
No, I'm afraid this just wasn't for me. I found it more a drag than a pleasure reading it and was so relieved when it was over. It wasn't clever or sharp, and the story was pretty poor. It would maybe have worked as a disappearance story, or a crime story, but have the stories mashed up together just confused me too much wasn't a good idea. It's a no from me.
June 21, 2015
A little bit edgy, a little bit mysterious, & a tinge bittersweet. To me, the forward-going thrust of the story is a noir(ish) crime novel, the backward-going thrust of the novel is a poignant & heartrending coming-of-age story. Both pieces woven together give you an unusual mix & unexpected routes vs. just a straight noir or crime novel. Taylor has an easy to read writing style that kept me turning the pages & stole a little piece of my heart by the end.
October 29, 2008
I want to point something out because I find it amusing:
The first line of the book jacket plot-description blurb says Greg is a small-time thief.
No, he isn't. He's a photographer. Mark is the small-time thief.
Way to copyedit your own book jacket, Mr. Taylor!
Anyway, I didn't get this book. And I wanted to. I was really into it up until the last forty pages or so. Into it until it sort of crumbles into incomprehensible nonsense.
The first line of the book jacket plot-description blurb says Greg is a small-time thief.
No, he isn't. He's a photographer. Mark is the small-time thief.
Way to copyedit your own book jacket, Mr. Taylor!
Anyway, I didn't get this book. And I wanted to. I was really into it up until the last forty pages or so. Into it until it sort of crumbles into incomprehensible nonsense.
August 21, 2022
I enjoyed reading this book, however it does seem to be destined to discussions in literary classes with people arguing over what REALLY happened. And, sheesh, get your main character’s name right in the jacket blurb!
April 21, 2023
I enjoyed this book until the jumble at the end, which confused me. As others mentioned, the book jacket mentions that Greg is the thief and he is not. Also, there were words missing here and there in the text.
September 30, 2017
Existential noir.
Read
December 12, 2024Kiwi as!
May 12, 2010
I've had this book on my To-Read list for a long time after hearing a rave review of it. It's a small book, and each time I saw it for sale I refused to pay fullprice for it! But on Saturday I found it for $9. By Sunday I'd finished it.
It's nicely written, simply written, but isn't a simple tale. It starts with the night that the Air NZ flight to Antarctica didn't return. Then it jumps to current day and the life of the main character, a thief. (Consequently I lay in bed hearing every creak of the house and wondering ... ) Eventually a mystery from his past emerges, explains some things, and his past and present come together. I found the ending a little dissatisfying, but on reflection I think that was the point.
It's nicely written, simply written, but isn't a simple tale. It starts with the night that the Air NZ flight to Antarctica didn't return. Then it jumps to current day and the life of the main character, a thief. (Consequently I lay in bed hearing every creak of the house and wondering ... ) Eventually a mystery from his past emerges, explains some things, and his past and present come together. I found the ending a little dissatisfying, but on reflection I think that was the point.
June 22, 2011
First, let me say that the book cover and blurb are misleading. This really isn't a noir or a mystery and has nothing whatsoever to do with an airport (and only a little bit to do with an airplane). It is, however, a decent read about a thief who is not really likeable or unlikeable as a character, and about how people deal with loss particularly when there is no sense of closure. Taylor's descriptions of people and places ring true and the book led to an interesting discussion for my book group.
December 8, 2011
This book was ok, with a few interesting turns, but I expected more out of it. When he was a kid, one of his school mates disappeared. The story goes back and forth between this event, and later on in life, when as a thief, he breaks in houses and tries to...
To read my whole review, please go here:
http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/20...
To read my whole review, please go here:
http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/20...
May 27, 2012
I found this book to be interesting, and I can see how it's categorized as noir, yet I was disappointed that we never really find out hat happened to Caroline. And there are many typos in the book, including the blurb on the jacket which states that "greg" is a thief, but it's really Mark.
December 28, 2012
Very readable style and good ideas, but ultimately unsatisfying – it just didn't really go anywhere. The mystery remained a mystery and I didn't feel much empathy with the main character – or any of them really. A shame because Chad Taylor can obviously write well: fluent prose, good dialogue and vivid imagery.
August 27, 2011
I don't particularly enjoy books that leave it up to the reader to interpret their real meaning. This book was just okay for me. I was hoping it would go into the mystery of Caroline's disappearance more than it did. Just not my cup of tea.
October 22, 2022
Lots of nice parts to this book, but they do not come together into a good story. I kept going, anticipating an ending that could work everything out, but realized as I approached the end that this would not be happening.
May 5, 2008
Who knew there was good noir-ish fiction coming out of New Zealand? I didn't, but I totally recommed this here book. Also, it'll only take you, like, a couple hours to read. Short but still good.
June 2, 2010
A philosophical noir that, if not exactly a page-turner, still keeps the reader interested.
June 16, 2012
It's unsettling to have a book that doesn't tire up all the loose ends. The book is well written if shorter than it could have been.
August 22, 2012
Good read-great writer, but don't expect to be told "who done it"
September 12, 2012
Stylish noir with an unsatisfactory conclusion.
April 12, 2013
Quite good.
January 18, 2016
The story sucked me in, then spit me out when I was about 30 pages from the end. That's the point when the story turned mystical.
April 20, 2015
Weird, but compelling. Europa Press publishes the unusual.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews